Testing Alternative Hypotheses

摘要

The recent trial in Dover, PA, JL concerning evolution versus intelligent design points out the continuing threat to the teaching of science in our classrooms. Although these threats have been mainly to the teaching of biology they also affect the physics classroom in the form of challenges to the validity of radioactive dating and to astronomical evidence on the ages of stars and the universe. In April of this year the Executive Board of the AAPT adopted the "AAPT Statement on the Teaching of Evolution and Cosmology."1 In the statement the board strongly condemns any weakening of the teaching of evolution and cosmology, clarifies the meaning of a scientific theory, and opposes efforts to require the teaching of any non-scientific viewpoint in the science classroom. The beginning of the fourth paragraph states a concept crucial to the scientific process. It reads: "We believe in teaching that science is a process that examines all of the evidence relevant to an issue and tests alternative hypotheses." Introductory physics texts do a good job of presenting our current knowledge but rarely do they discuss the testing of alternative hypotheses or theories.